Differences Between WebOb and Other Systems
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This document points out some of the API differences between the
Request and Response object, and the objects in other systems.

.. contents::

paste.wsgiwrappers and Pylons
=============================

The Pylons ``request`` and ``response`` object are based on
``paste.wsgiwrappers.WSGIRequest`` and ``WSGIResponse``

There is no concept of ``defaults`` in WebOb.  In Paste/Pylons these
serve as threadlocal settings that control certain policies on the
request and response object.  In WebOb you should make your own
subclasses to control policy (though in many ways simply being
explicit elsewhere removes the need for this policy).

Request
-------

``body``:
    This is a file-like object in WSGIRequest.  In WebOb it is a
    string (to match Response.body) and the file-like object is
    available through ``req.body_file``

``languages()``:
    This is available through ``req.accept_language``, particularly
    ``req.accept_language.best_matches(fallback_language)``

``match_accept(mimetypes)``:
    This is available through ``req.accept.first_match(mimetypes)``;
    or if you trust the client's quality ratings, you can use
    ``req.accept.best_match(mimetypes)``

``errors``:
    This controls how unicode decode errors are handled; it is now
    named ``unicode_errors``

There are also many extra methods and attributes on WebOb Request
objects.

Response
--------

default ``content_type``:
    The base Response object has no default content_type or charset.
    You can set ``default_content_type`` in a subclass.

``determine_charset()``:
    Is now available as ``res.charset``

``has_header(header)``:
    Should be done with ``header in res.headers``

``get_content()`` and ``wsgi_response()``:
    These are gone; you should use ``res.body`` or ``res(environ,
    start_response)``

``write(content)``:
    Available in ``res.body_file.write(content)``.

``flush()`` and ``tell()``:
    Not available.

There are also many extra methods and attributes on WebOb Response
objects.

Django
======

This is a quick summary from reading `the Django documentation
<http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/request_response/>`_.

Request
-------

``encoding``:
    Is ``req.charset``

``REQUEST``:
    Is ``req.params``

``FILES``:
    File uploads are ``cgi.FieldStorage`` objects directly in
    ``res.POST``

``META``:
    Is ``req.environ``

``user``:
    No equivalent (too connected to application model for WebOb).
    There is ``req.remote_user``, which is only ever a string.

``session``:
    No equivalent

``raw_post_data``:
    Available with ``req.body``

``__getitem__(key)``:
    You have to use ``req.params``

``is_secure()``:
    No equivalent; you could use ``req.scheme == 'https'``.

QueryDict
---------

QueryDict is the way Django represents the multi-key dictionary-like
objects that are request variables (query string and POST body
variables).  The equivalent in WebOb is MultiDict.

Mutability:
    WebOb dictionaries are sometimes mutable (req.GET is,
    req.params is not)

Ordering:
    I believe Django does not order the keys fully; MultiDict is a
    full ordering.  Methods that iterate over the parameters iterate
    over keys in their order in the original request.

``keys()``, ``items()``, ``values()`` (plus ``iter*``):
    These return all values in MultiDict, but only the last value for
    a QueryDict.  That is, given ``a=1&a=2`` with MultiDict
    ``d.items()`` returns ``[('a', '1'), ('a', '2')]``, but QueryDict
    returns ``[('a', '1')]``

``getlist(key)``:
    Available as ``d.getall(key)``

``setlist(key)``:
    No direct equivalent

``appendlist(key, value)``:
    Available as ``d.add(key, value)``

``setlistdefault(key, default_list)``:
    No direct equivalent

``lists()``:
    Is ``d.dict_of_lists()``
 
The MultiDict object has a ``d.getone(key)`` method, that raises
KeyError if there is not exactly one key.  There is a method
``d.mixed()`` which returns a version where values are lists *if*
there are multiple values for a list.  This is similar to how many
cgi-based request forms are represented.

Response
--------

Constructor:
    Totally different.  The WebOb Response object should probably be
    subclassed for direct application use; in WebOb it does not
    *prefer* HTML or anything normal web application conventions

dictionary-like:
    The Django response object is somewhat dictionary-like, setting
    headers.  The equivalent dictionary-like object is
    ``res.headers``.  In WebOb this is a MultiDict.

``has_header(header)``:
    Use ``header in res.headers``

``write(content)``:
    As ``res.body_file.write(content)``

``flush()``, ``tell()``:
    Not available

``content``:
    Use ``res.body`` for the ``str`` value, ``res.unicode_body`` for
    the ``unicode`` value

Response Subclasses
-------------------

These are generally like ``webob.exc`` objects.
``HttpResponseNotModified`` is ``HTTPNotModified``; this naming
translation generally works.

CherryPy/TurboGears
===================

The `CherryPy request object
<http://www.cherrypy.org/wiki/RequestObject>`_ is also used by
TurboGears 1.x.

Request
-------

``app``:
    No equivalent

``base``:
    ``req.application_url``

``close()``:
    No equivalent

``closed``:
    No equivalent

``config``:
    No equivalent

``cookie``:
    A ``SimpleCookie`` object in CherryPy; a dictionary in WebOb
    (``SimpleCookie`` can represent cookie parameters, but cookie
    parameters are only sent with responses not requests)

``dispatch``:
    No equivalent (this is the object dispatcher in CherryPy).

``error_page``, ``error_response``, ``handle_error``:
    No equivalent

``get_resource()``:
    Similar to ``req.get_response(app)``

``handler``:
    No equivalent

``headers``, ``header_list``:
    The WSGI environment represents headers as a dictionary, available
    through ``req.headers`` (no list form is available in the request).

``hooks``:
    No equivalent

``local``:
    No equivalent

``methods_with_bodies``:
    This represents methods where CherryPy will automatically try to
    read the request body.  WebOb lazily reads POST requests with the
    correct content type, and no other bodies.

``namespaces``:
    No equivalent

``protocol``:
    As ``req.environ['SERVER_PROTOCOL']``

``query_string``:
    As ``req.query_string``

``remote``:
    ``remote.ip`` is like ``req.remote_addr``.  ``remote.port`` is not
    available.  ``remote.name`` is in
    ``req.environ.get('REMOTE_HOST')``

``request_line``:
    No equivalent

``respond()``:
    A method that is somewhat similar to ``req.get_response()``.

``rfile``:
    ``req.body_file``

``run``:
    No equivalent

``server_protocol``:
    As ``req.environ['SERVER_PROTOCOL']``

``show_tracebacks``:
    No equivalent

``throw_errors``:
    No equivalent

``throws``:
    No equivalent

``toolmaps``:
    No equivalent

``wsgi_environ``:
    As ``req.environ``

Response
--------

From information `from the wiki
<http://www.cherrypy.org/wiki/ResponseObject>`_.

``body``:
    This is an iterable in CherryPy, a string in WebOb;
    ``res.app_iter`` gives an iterable in WebOb.

``check_timeout``:
    No equivalent

``collapse_body()``:
    This turns a stream/iterator body into a single string.  Accessing
    ``res.body`` will do this automatically.

``cookie``:
    Accessible through ``res.set_cookie(...)``, ``res.delete_cookie``,
    ``res.unset_cookie()``

``finalize()``:
    No equivalent

``header_list``:
    In ``res.headerlist``

``stream``:
    This can make CherryPy stream the response body out directory.
    There is direct no equivalent; you can use a dynamically generated
    iterator to do something similar.

``time``:
    No equivalent

``timed_out``:
    No equivalent

Yaro
====

`Yaro <http://lukearno.com/projects/yaro/>`_ is a small wrapper around
the WSGI environment, much like WebOb in scope.

The WebOb objects have many more methods and attributes.  The Yaro
Response object is a much smaller subset of WebOb's Response.

Request
-------

``query``:
    As ``req.GET``

``form``:
    As ``req.POST``

``cookie``:
    A ``SimpleCookie`` object in Yaro; a dictionary in WebOb
    (``SimpleCookie`` can represent cookie parameters, but cookie
    parameters are only sent with responses not requests)

``uri``:
    Returns a URI object, no equivalent (only string URIs available).

``redirect``:
    Not available (response-related).  ``webob.exc.HTTPFound()`` can
    be useful here.

``forward(yaroapp)``, ``wsgi_forward(wsgiapp)``:
    Available with ``req.get_response(app)`` and
    ``req.call_application(app)``.  In both cases it is a WSGI
    application in WebOb, there is no special kind of communication;
    ``req.call_application()`` just returns a ``webob.Response`` object.

``res``:
    The request object in WebOb *may* have a ``req.response``
    attribute.

Werkzeug
========

Probably not that many people know about this library, which is a
offshoot of `Pocoo <http://pocoo.org>`_, and used to go by another
name (Columbrid?)  This library is based around WSGI, similar to Paste
and Yaro.

This is take from the `wrapper documentation
<http://werkzeug.pocoo.org/documentation/wrappers>`_.

Request
-------

path:
    As ``req.path_info``
args:
    As ``req.GET``
form:
    As ``req.POST``
values:
    As ``req.params``
files:
    In ``req.POST`` (as FieldStorage objects)
data:
    In ``req.body_file``

Response
--------

response:
    In ``res.body`` (settable as ``res.body`` or ``res.app_iter``)
status:
    In ``res.status_int``
mimetype:
    In ``res.content_type``
write(data):
    With ``res.body_file.write(data)``

Zope 3
======

From the Zope 3 interfaces for the `Request
<http://apidoc.zope.org/++apidoc++/Interface/zope.publisher.interfaces.browser.IBrowserRequest/index.html>`_
and `Response
<http://apidoc.zope.org/++apidoc++/Interface/zope.publisher.interfaces.http.IHTTPResponse/index.html>`_.

Request
-------

``locale``, ``setupLocale()``:
    This is not fully calculated, but information is available in
    ``req.accept_languages``.

``principal``, ``setPrincipal(principal)``:
    ``req.remote_user`` gives the username, but there is no standard
    place for a user *object*.

``publication``, ``setPublication()``, 
    These are associated with the object publishing system in Zope.
    This kind of publishing system is outside the scope of WebOb.

``traverse(object)``, ``getTraversalStack()``, ``setTraversalStack()``:
    These all relate to traversal, which is part of the publishing
    system.

``processInputs()``, ``setPathSuffix(steps)``:
    Also associated with traversal and preparing the request.

``environment``:
    In ``req.environ``

``bodyStream``:
    In ``req.body_file``

``interaction``:
    This is the security context for the request; all the possible
    participants or principals in the request.  There's no
    equivalent.

``annotations``:
    Extra information associated with the request.  This would
    generally go in custom keys of ``req.environ``, or if you set
    attributes those attributes are stored in
    ``req.environ['webob.adhoc_attrs']``.

``debug``:
    There is no standard debug flag for WebOb.
    
``__getitem__(key)``, ``get(key)``, etc:
    These treat the request like a dictionary, which WebOb does not
    do.  They seem to take values from the environment, not
    parameters.  Also on the Zope request object is ``items()``,
    ``__contains__(key)``, ``__iter__()``, ``keys()``, ``__len__()``,
    ``values()``.

``getPositionalArguments()``:
    I'm not sure what the equivalent would be, as there are no
    positional arguments during instantiation (it doesn't fit into
    WSGI).  Maybe ``wsgiorg.urlvars``?

``retry()``, ``supportsRetry()``:
    Creates a new request that can be used to retry a request.
    Similar to ``req.copy()``.

``close()``, ``hold(obj)``: 
    This closes resources associated with the request, including any
    "held" objects.  There's nothing similar.

Response
--------

``authUser``:
    Not sure what this is or does.

``reset()``:
    No direct equivalent; you'd have to do ``res.headers = [];
    res.body = ''; res.status = 200``

``setCookie(name, value, **kw)``:
    Is ``res.set_cookie(...)``.

``getCookie(name)``:
    No equivalent.  Hm.

``expireCookie(name)``:
    Is ``res.delete_cookie(name)``.

``appendToCookie(name, value)``:
    This appends the value to any existing cookie (separating values
    with a colon).  WebOb does not do this.

``setStatus(status)``:
    Availble by setting ``res.status`` (can be set to an integer or a
    string of "code reason").

``getHeader(name, default=None)``:
    Is ``res.headers.get(name)``.

``getStatus()``:
    Is ``res.status_int`` (or ``res.status`` to include reason)

``addHeader(name, value)``:
    Is ``res.headers.add(name, value)`` (in Zope and WebOb, this does
    not clobber any previous value).

``getHeaders()``:
    Is ``res.headerlist``.

``setHeader(name, value)``:
    Is ``res.headers[name] = value``.

``getStatusString()``:
    Is ``res.status``.

``consumeBody()``:
    This consumes any non-string body to turn the body into a single
    string.  Any access to ``res.body`` will do this (e.g., when you
    have set the ``res.app_iter``).

``internalError()``:
    This is available with ``webob.exc.HTTP*()``.

``handleException(exc_info)``:
    This is provided with a tool like ``paste.exceptions``.

``consumeBodyIter()``:
    This returns the iterable for the body, even if the body was a
    string.  Anytime you access ``res.app_iter`` you will get an
    iterable.  ``res.body`` and ``res.app_iter`` can be interchanged
    and accessed as many times as you want, unlike the Zope
    equivalents.

``setResult(result)``:
    You can achieve the same thing through ``res.body = result``, or
    ``res.app_iter = result``.  ``res.body`` accepts None, a unicode
    string (*if* you have set a charset) or a normal string.
    ``res.app_iter`` only accepts None and an interable.  You can't
    update all of a response with one call.

    Like in Zope, WebOb updates Content-Length.  Unlike Zope, it does
    not automatically calculate a charset.


mod_python
==========

Some key attributes from the `mod_python
<http://modpython.org/live/current/doc-html/pyapi-mprequest-mem.html>`_ 
request object.

Request
-------

``req.uri``:
    In ``req.path``.
   
``req.user``:
    In ``req.remote_user``.

``req.get_remote_host()``:
    In ``req.environ['REMOTE_ADDR']`` or ``req.remote_addr``.

``req.headers_in.get('referer')``:
    In ``req.headers.get('referer')`` or ``req.referer`` (same pattern
    for other request headers, presumably).

Response
--------

``util.redirect`` or ``req.status = apache.HTTP_MOVED_TEMPORARILY``:

.. code-block::

    from webob.exc import HTTPMovedTemporarily()
    exc = HTTPMovedTemporarily(location=url)
    return exc(environ, start_response)

``req.content_type = "application/x-csv"`` and 
``req.headers_out.add('Content-Disposition', 'attachment;filename=somefile.csv'):

.. code-block::

    res = req.ResponseClass()
    res.content_type = 'application/x-csv'
    res.headers.add('Content-Disposition', 'attachment;filename=somefile.csv')
    return res(environ, start_response)